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The poster is here! Earlier today, STC posted the Facebook event for the show and released the AMAZING poster that I absolutely love in every way. I get more excited about this show every single day. 
Ichabod: Missing in Sleepy Hollow runs October 4-12 at Street Theatre Company in Nashville, TN. Directed by Elaina McKnight Shaver. Tickets are $7 and this show is spooky fun for the whole family. You can find more information at STC's website or by calling 615.554.7414.
Had the complete joy to visit Street Theatre Company tonight, meet my director, Elaina McKnight Shaver, and sit in on a rehearsal of ICHABOD. What a treat! While the show is going up in Nashville, I'm from central Ohio. About seven hours and one time-zone away, it's hard for me to get down to Nashville with any frequency. Happily, as you may have read in my August 17, 2013 post, I'm also working with Tennessee Rep this season and that opportunity has provided me with the chance to visit Nashville while ICHABOD is in rehearsals.
Visiting STC tonight, I watched as they worked through the end of Act I and top of Act II. They're still early in the process, but already, these kids are working hard (and props to Elaina for directing such a large cast with finesse and ease). They're asking question about their characters and showing the professionalism one comes to expect from grown actors. I'm even more excited to see the show next month than I already was now that I've stepped foot in the space. That whole "putting your trust in a creative team" is paying off. It really is finally setting in that this production is happening. Awesome feeling. Ichabod: Missing in Sleepy Hollow runs October 4-12 at Street Theatre Company in Nashville, TN. Directed by Elaina McKnight Shaver. Tickets are $7 and this show is spooky fun for the whole family. You can find more information at STC's website or by calling 615.554.7414. The reading went well! STC had an internal read of ICHABOD. They haven't picked a cast yet, this was simply so the creative team could hear the complete script for the first time.
They're gearing up for auditions on the 24th and then rehearsals to pick up shortly after. This is all moving so excitingly fast, isn't it? I am doing a few edits based on some notes and reactions from the reading that were incredibly helpful. It's fascinating to do notes and such over email. I've been spoiled these past few years at Ohio University being in the room all the time. On the flipside, there's something liberating about putting your trust in a creative team and letting go a bit. Not much else to report. Energy is being focused on the rewrites so they have them soon and on the packing that needs done as me and my wife are soon to celebrate our first anniversary this weekend and I hope to be packed for our trip and to have my edits complete by the time we depart. Ichabod: Missing in Sleepy Hollow runs October 4-12 at Street Theatre Company in Nashville, TN. Directed by Elaina McKnight Shaver. Tickets are $7 and this show is spooky fun for the whole family. You can find more information at STC's website or by calling 615.554.7414.  It is with, pretty much, giddy excitement that I can finally announce that I am one of four playwrights selected for the 2013-2014 Ingram New Works Project at Tennessee Repertory Theatre in Nashville! Alongside Nate Eppler, Andrew Kramer, and Dean Poynor, I'll be working on a brand new play during this season-long development workshop, culminating in a new works festival in May 2014. What a complete and awesome honor! From the Tennessee Rep website: The Ingram New Works Lab is intended to be an artistic home for emerging regional playwrights to share work, hone craft, receive direction, and springboard themselves into the next phase of their writing career, providing a fertile environment for the emergence of great new plays. Another amazing component to this opportunity is that the four playwrights (again, of which, I am one) will spend a week working with this year's Ingram New Works Fellow, which is Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Doug Wright. Some of Mr. Wright's notable plays include I Am My Own Wife,Quills, The Little Mermaid, and Grey Gardens. You might understand, then, my excitement.  This is a fantastic opportunity and I cannot wait to begin my trips to Nashville to work with these talented writers and the wonderful artists at Tennessee Repertory Theatre! There will be more to share throughout this journey and I just want to thank Producing Artistic Director René D. Copeland, Playwright in Residence Nate Eppler, and everyone at Tennessee Rep who decided to include me in this project. [Image at right, courtesy of Tennessee Rep.] I'll close this out by sharing the words of one of the project's greatest supporters (i.e. the person for whom the project is named), Martha R. Ingram. The Ingram Charitable Fund is thrilled to make this opportunity available in support of new works for the theatre. New work is the life force of every art form. We have no better example than William Shakespeare who, after all, created nothing but new work. And the same can be said for Henrik Ibsen, Anton Chekhov, George Bernard Shaw, Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams and the list goes on. Well said, Martha. Well said.
This is going to be a quick post tonight. On Monday, I sent the full script of "Ichabod: Missing in Sleepy Hollow" to Elaina and Cathy at Street Theatre Company. For those new to the blog, this play was selected by STC and Playhouse Nashville as the winner in their search for a new adaptation of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Now that the script is complete, it's off to the theater where they're having an internal reading tonight there in Nashville. I wish I could attend to hear it out loud! It's weird not to be there, but jetting off to Nashville isn't in the budget right now.
This is a very different way of operating for me, but I'm going to take a deep breath, pray it goes well, and wait for notes from the director and artistic director. We've never met in person and this play was born via emails and anonymous contest selections (STC received blind script from Playhouse Nashville so that they would choose the script based on the script, not the writer---which is awesome as it challenges a writer to make the script shine on the page and it allows them to find the script that speaks to them). All that being said, from the beginning I have felt a connection to this theater and these artists and I know any notes I get will be smart and worth considering. They know what they're doing. Break legs to everyone and I cannot wait to hear how it goes! Ichabod: Missing in Sleepy Hollow runs October 4-12 at Street Theatre Company in Nashville, TN. Directed by Elaina McKnight Shaver. Tickets are $7 and this show is spooky fun for the whole family. You can find more information at STC's website or by calling 615.554.7414. Like recounting a first bike ride or first toy or even first website (probably the most fitting of the example), I am excitedly, albeit slowly, touching my internet toes into the waters of Storify. A colleague --- and by "colleague" I am referring to someone whom I follow on twitter who considers himself a writer too --- a colleague recently posted about Storify as a way to share lots of information on one topic at once instead of blast-posting individual missives. Recently, I created a Storify about the stories about my latest play, FRACKTURE. And since the Ohio Environmental Council recently (i.e. today) posted a member spotlight and short interview they did with me about FRACKTURE, I updated the Storify story and now share it with you. For all your reading and news-gathering pleasure. And because lots of other people have taken the time to talk with me about FRACKTURE as it continues development and I think they deserve to be recognized for that and have their stories shared. As a writer, I love talking about my work and sharing it with others... I'm grateful that there are people out there who wanted to listen and talk about it as well. So here it is: my first Storify. Enjoy. 
Thrilled to be working with my colleagues at Ohio University on this new play development project.
THEATER ASSOCIATION OF GRADUATE STUDENTS PRESENTS: THE NEW PLAY PROJECT Saturday, April 6th at Union Arts - 15 W. Union St. We will be presenting script-in-hand productions of two full-length plays in rep as part of the Nuit Blanche Athens arts festival. Each show will be performed twice. All shows are FREE; general admission at the door. FRACKTURE by Jeremy Sony Dir. Thomas Daniels Featuring: Patrick Wagstaff, Josh Leeson, Rachel Weekley, and Emily Auwaerter 5:00 pm and 10:00 pm BEHEADING VAMPIRE PUPPIES: A LIVING ROOM ENCOUNTER by Greg Aldrich Dir. Rachel Mock Featuring: Matthew Mikita, Kat Radujkovic, and Shambrion Treadwell 7:30 pm and 12:30 am TAGS NPP Production Team Production Manager: Aaron Contreras Asst. Production Managers: Rain Bidleman and Joanna Koefoed Lighting Designer: Carolyn Voss Scenic Designer: Deanna Smith Costume Designer: Delta Childers-Smith (Frackture) Costume Designer: Katie Behrens (BVP) For more information about the Nuit Blanche Athens festival, and to see what else is happening around Athens on April 6th, visit www.facebook.com/events/539472799425997 I'm trying out a new thing this year. Promoting a play before it's done. Maybe that comes with the territory when it's your thesis, or when it's a story set against the back-drop of a hot-button topic. In any case, as I continue to re-draft 'Frackture' and prep for the next step in this play's development, I have been talking about it more and more with journalists both here at OU and in other lovely places, like Washington, D.C.
Maybe this happens all the time to some playwrights, but discussing a play this much while it's being developed and workshopped is an entirely new experience for me. I'm stoked about this one, so I'm trying to keep expectations on the level. It's easy to ramble on about characters and hype a story you love telling, but hopefully the story will still be exciting and fresh when audiences finally see it. It's finding the balance between the buzz and the "pre-buzz" of the play that has become an unexpected, yet welcome, part of my writing process. If you would like to read more about 'Frackture' and what I'm up to on that front, I invite you to visit the following links (the last one goes to a paid site fo.
 This is more of an announcement than a blog post. For any and all playwright friends in Ohio (or within driving distance of Columbus on a Saturday in November). The Dramatists Guild is holding an all day workshop on November 17th. Some of the panels that day include awesome folks like Gary Garrison, Mike Geither, and Matt Slaybaugh (all people I hope to work with one day) and my own mentor at OU, Charles Smith. The announcement, information, and contact information on how to make reservations is below. It's free for DG members and guests. Not sure of cost if you don't fall into those categories. But if you're not a Dramatists Guild member, consider becoming one. Anyway, here's all the details. Maybe I'll see you there.
SAVE THE DATE: DRAMATISTS GUILD IN OHIO - SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2012 Saturday, November 17 from 9 to 5 PM. The Drake Union, The Ohio State University 1849 Cannon Drive, Columbus, OH THE DRAMATISTS GUILD OHIO REGION and THE DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE AT THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY present a daylong workshop THOSE WHO CAN, TEACH Exploring techniques, exercises, and resources that will help us share our craft Convened by Faye Sholiton (DG Regional Rep) and Jennifer Schlueter (OSU). FREE to DG members and guests. Reservations by November 14 to [email protected]. Maybe you’re in an MFA playwriting program and are aiming at a university career. Maybe you’re already teaching at the high school or college level and want to find new ways to guide your students’ work as writers, lyricists, and composers. Maybe you’ve been asked to teach a workshop through a theatre that’s producing your work. Or maybe you’d like to sit in on a master class with some of the top professionals in the region. You belong in Columbus on November 17 for a one-day conference packed with workshops, Q&As, and lectures from those who not onlycan teach, but who are passionate about doing it well. Whether or not you can attend, we invite your participation in an idea exchange. We’re looking for exercises, techniques and resources that have worked for you as a teacher or mentor. Send these “Wright Ideas” to [email protected]. We will share them at the workshop and then on the DG website. For each Wright Idea you submit, you will have a chance to win one of four autographed copies of a Doug Wright script: Quills, I Am My Own Wife, The Stonewater Rapture, and Unwrap Your Candy. PROGRAM OF EVENTS 8:30 AM Doors open. Coffee and light refreshments available. (Drake Lobby) 9:30 AM Welcome. Faye Sholiton (Roy Bowen theatre) 9:40 AM “Writing the Ten Minute Play,” Gary Garrison, author of A More Perfect Ten and DG’s Executive Director of Creative Affairs. (Roy Bowen theatre) 11:00 AM DG Updates: Conversation with Jennifer Schlueter and Gary Garrison followed by Opportunities for Ohio Playwrights: Chiquita Mullins Lee, Arts Learning Programs Coordinator, Ohio Arts Council. 11:45 AM Lunch break. Boxed lunches are available for $9 PRE-PURCHASED ONLY. Please note: no restaurants are open in the building. Order forms will be forwarded with registration materials. (Drake Lobby) 1:00 PM “The Gentle Art of Mentoring,” Michael Bigelow Dixon, former Literary Manager at Actors Theater of Louisville and the Guthrie Theatre, co-editor of Playwrights Workout, and Assistant Professor at Transylvania University. (Roy Bowen theatre) 1:30 PM Working sessions. Select ONE. Option one: Teaching at the MFA, or advanced level. (Drake 2068) Option two: Teaching high school and undergraduate students. (Drake 2060) Option three: Working in the community: youth, adults, and writers in non-academic settings. (Drake 2038) Confirmed panelists include: Charles Smith (Ohio U); Mike Geither (Cleveland State U); Eric Schmiedl (Spaulding U.); Michael Bigelow Dixon (Transylvania U); Wendy MacLeod (Kenyon College); Bonnie Milne Gardner (Ohio Wesleyan); Mark Evans Bryan (Denison U); Herman Farrell (U. of Kentucky); Michael London (Ohio Playwrights Circle, Dayton); Matt Slaybaugh (Available Light, Columbus); Katherine Burkman (OSU, Women at Play); Chris Seibert (Cleveland Public Theatre) 3:45 PM Break. Light refreshments. (Drake Lobby) 4:15 PM Concluding remarks, featuring Herman Farrell, DG Kentucky Regional Rep; and Alan Woods, retired professor O.S.U. and Dr. Beth Kattelman, Associate Curator of the Lawrence & Lee Theatre Research Institute at OSU. Drawing for the Wright autographed scripts. (Roy Bowen Theatre) GENERAL INFORMATION WHEN YOU EMAIL YOUR RESERVATION, YOU WILL RECEIVE DRIVING AND PARKING DIRECTIONS AND ORDER FORMS FOR LUNCH.
OTHER COLUMBUS EVENTS: For those who can spend extra time, consider:
Faye Sholiton Ohio Regional Rep One of the great benefits of the Ohio University MFA Playwriting program is the weekly MADNESS production that happens almost every Friday night during the school year. What is Madness, you ask? Week after week, on Mondays, we're presented with new and exciting themes (which stem from the mind of whichever playwright is producing that week) and then on Fridays, we each present a five minute play.  Dylan Combs and Emily Auwaerter Now in my third year of the program, I've penned more than 50 of these short pieces. I'm assembling them into my own madness for 2013 (a greatest hits of sorts). Until then, I'm posting some of my favorite plays here on my site. They are all about five-minutes in length and two-character pieces. Quick reads all. Take a gander. We don't record madness, but I am considering mounting video versions. Just need to figure out how best to do that. Until then, reading the old fashioned way will have to suffice. Enjoy!
Photo by Hannah VanBrunt |
Jeremy's blog
Thoughts. From my brain. Anything to do with how we tell stories and the stories we tell each other. Literally and figuratively. About Jeremy
Writer. Husband. Father. Effulgent dreamer. A Fightin' Irishman (@NDdotEDU '01). A playwriting Bobcat (MFA in Playwriting, @OhioU '13). I write plays. I'm a geek. I wanted to be an astronaut. I go places in my head.
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